Why Google is Not Like Microsoft and Facebook (opens in new tab)

The shorter version of why Google is not Microsoft or Facebook is that there is no lock-in, you can export your data and point your browser somewhere else if you want.

Interesting point made by the author.

Its something I've wondered about. What would stop Google from degenerating? Its an interesting question because the reason we use Google (good search) is not how they make money (ads). They are related, but not the same. If you have a product that people buy, you have to keep making it better.

So what stops google from splashing their entire page with ads (to earn more), or not being the best in search (as long the ad revenue is flowing)? I think the author gives a good reason why google wouldn't do that -> because users will easily change their default search engine

To me this is not about Google's pledge to do no evil, but more like a call to action against Facebook, Microsoft, and yes, even Apple.

Unfortunately in the tech industry shareholders love to see large market share followed by strong lock in potential.

As technologists it can be very frustrating to see, what is often inferior technology, win the market.

But, even more importantly, consumers suffer when interoperability diminishes. The mainstream top end of the adoption curve can't be blamed for gravitating towards ubiquity, but as technologists we should always be putting a full court press on walled gardens.

I think the real lesson is "avoid lockin whenever possible." Yes, it's easy to switch from Google search to something else. But is it easier to leave Google Buzz or Google Docs than to leave Facebook or Microsoft Office? (Yes.)

As long as you can leave easily, they have to keep trying hard to please you. If you're locked in, look forward to high prices - in the form of money, sucky product, loss of privacy, or whatever.

This dovetails with something that is obvious within Google. It is part of the corporate DNA to believe that everything should be open, and to believe that in a competition when things are open, that Google do well.

The results is that Google doesn't try to lock people in. Which means that, unlike Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, etc, Google doesn't wind up having the safety net of lock-in allowing Google to ignore customers in pursuit of some other goal.